The present invention relates to a structure for a front part of an automotive vehicle body.
A front part of an automotive vehicle body comprises front side frames extending longitudinal directions above a front axle, intermediate frames connecting rear ends of the front side frames to front ends of floor frames extending longitudinal directions underneath a floor of a passenger compartment and a dash panel separating an engine compartment from the passenger compartment. Conventionally, it is common that the dash panel rises from connecting portions between the front side frames and the intermediate frames (refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 10-138953).
However, a bending moment applied to the frames of a vehicle when a crash load is inputted from the front becomes maximum at respective connecting portions between the intermediate frames to the front side and floor frames, respectively. Therefore, when the vehicle comes into a frontal collision, the connecting portions between the rear ends of the front side frames and the front ends of the intermediate frames are bent, and in particular, with a structure being adopted in which the rear ends of the front side frames abut against a vertical plane of the dash panel, it is inevitable that the deformation so made affects as far as the passenger compartment.
Since the excessive deformation of the passenger compartment is not preferable from an occupant protection point of view, conventionally, the frames are reinforced such that the connecting portions between the frames and the dash panel are difficult to be deformed.
However, there is caused a problem that the aforesaid way of reinforcement increases the vehicle weight.
The present invention was made with a view to solving the problem which is inherently found with the conventional technique.
It is an object of the invention to provide a structure for a front part of an automotive vehicle body which can realize the compatibility of the reduction in the vehicle weight and the protection of the passenger compartment at a higher level.
The above-mentioned object can be attained by a structure for a front part of an automotive vehicle body, according to the invention, having front side frames 2 extending longitudinal directions above a front axle 1, intermediate frames 5 connecting rear ends of the side frames 2 and front ends of floor frames 4 in a longitudinal direction underneath a floor of a passenger compartment and a dash panel 7 separating an engine compartment 6 from the passenger compartment 3, wherein the dash panel extends upwardly from longitudinally intermediate portions of said intermediate frames.
With this construction, since the connecting points between the front side frames and the intermediate frames, that is, the portions which are bent by virtue of a crash load are located forward of the dash panel, the effect on the passenger compartment by the deformed frames is alleviated.